The Overbrook Foundation is a progressive family foundation that supports organizations advancing human rights and conserving the natural environment.

Monday, March 26, 2012

EPR Featured in New York Times

Extended Producer Responsibility, not so long ago an obscure term, is gaining momentum in the media. A feature article in Friday's New York Times Business section highlights several companies amping up their programs for reclaiming used packaging and recycling that previously trashed packaging into new products. Specifically highlighted are Starbucks, Coca Cola and the Gimme 5 Preserve program, supported by Stonyfield Farms, Brita and Whole Foods. Through Gimme 5, customers can bring empty #5 plastics (usually used for yogurt cups, margarine, hummus or takeout containers) to Whole Foods stores and place them in a designated bin for #5s. Up until just a few years ago, those #5s went straight to landfill in the United States. But in 2011, around 11 million yogurt cups were collected and converted into toothbrushes, park benches and razors.

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The Overbrook Foundation, located in New York City, is a family foundation established in 1948 by Frank and Helen Altschul. The Foundation took its name from Overbrook Farm, the Altschul family home in Stamford, Connecticut. At the end of 2011, the Foundation has an endowment of approximately $122.6 million and had awarded approximately $6.1 million in grants over the course of that year.